Photo contest exhibition opens Friday at Turchin Center
Public invited to vote for favorites in Footsloggers People’s Choice Award

Forty-seven images have been selected from the 918 submissions to the sixth annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition (AMPC), and the public will get its first glimpse of this year’s finalists during the Downtown Boone Art Crawl and Turchin Center Spring Exhibition Celebration on Friday, March 6, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Opening of the Exhibition also marks the opening of voting for the People’s Choice Award sponsored by Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters. The public is invited to view and vote for favorites among the finalist images via a kiosk located in the Mezzanine Gallery of the Turchin Center or by visiting www.appmtnphotocomp.org. Voting will remain open both in the gallery and online through 5 p.m. Friday, March 27.

A portion of the proceeds from the annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition are used to subsidize the cost to students participating in Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions (SOLE) at Appalachian State University. SOLE trips are 21- to 55-day active educational adventures of discovery. In offering SOLE trips, ASU Outdoor Programs partners with academic departments and the Office of International Education and Development to provide students with unique and intense international and domestic adventure travel opportunities. Students participating in SOLE trips spend extended time exploring rugged and remote wilderness and become immersed in new and exciting cultures all while gaining academic credit.

Judges for the sixth annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition include John Scarlata, coordinator of the technical photography program at Appalachian State University; Marie Freeman, photojournalist and photographer for Appalachian State University; and award winning photographer Richard Rapfogel. They will return for a final round of judging after the exhibition opens to determine category winners and Best in Show. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, April 1.

About the AMPC

The AMPC is a partnership between Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. AMPC is made possible through the sponsorship of Virtual Blue Ridge, the premier online resource for the Blue Ridge Parkway and the generous support of Bistro Roca, Inventive American Cuisine; Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters; Mast General Store; and Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants.

For more information about this photography competition, visit www.appmtnphotocomp.org, or call Outdoor Programs at (828) 262-4954.